This just about sums it up

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!

Thankful

So here we are after Thanksgiving and I still haven’t said anything about my recent trip to Rizhou. It’s been a busy week, but we’ll get to that later…

The purpose of the trip was to visit a university teaching team to see what work and relationships in that setting look like, as well as the more long-term side of my organization. The Rizhou team is three great gals (from L to R: Janice, Sandra and Rufina) who have been together at their school for the past three years.

As a result, His work through them on this particular campus has been substantial. We got to witness some of that the Friday night when we helped the girls host a “family dinner.” At least thirty like-minded Chinese men and women came to their apartment on campus to fellowship; we served them dinner we’d bought from a local restaurant and helped to lead a Book study and some games. About 2/3 of the people there the girls had never met as the group they’ve helped to start is growing quickly. This has it’s own problems, but it’s also easy to see the strong belief and eagerness to share in the Chinese brothers and sisters. I’m pictured with a student named Jordan and another named William (along with Matt and Dave), two guys I met over the weekend.

This part of the trip—witnessing the relationships you have an opportunity to build at the university level—was both an encouragement and a challenge to me.

I also had the chance to observe the girls teach. I saw a writing class Rufina gave about the 5-paragraph essay, Janice led a discussion about Internet dating and speed dating and whether or not they’re a good way to meet a mate (that was a funny, funny class), and Sandra showed the pilot episode of the show Felicity and used it to talk about locus of control. I was eating the stuff up, partially because it was such a difference from the Kindergarten classes I’m used to and partially because it was just really interesting stuff. Don’t get me wrong, I love interacting with the little guys and gals, but singing songs about turkeys is not the same as being able to discuss what we’re truly thankful for—stuff like that. I could easily see myself teaching at this age level here in China in an EFL classroom and loving it.

The more I observed and thought about it, the more it seemed to be a perfect fit. I’d love the content. I’d be in a college setting without the need for a doctorate or difficult college-level thinking (not my cup of tea). And I’d love the students—questioning everything like all college students do—and there I would be, pushing them to question even more and figure out just what it is they believe (and showing them how to write a 5-paragraph essay along the way). The attraction was there, and the thought followed with it: maybe I’ll stay in China. Maybe He’s calling me here long-term.

But I have doubts. I’ve never felt the call to serve overseas in this way, for one thing. Sure I’m here for a year, but the end is well in sight. What these girls are doing is so much more long-term. It’s a commitment like one I’m not sure I’m ready to make or that I’m called to make. Likewise, I’ve never quite felt I had those sort of gifts—sharing my faith and probing people’s hearts. Two pieces of Scripture really came to me during this time, one being the charge we are given at the end of Matthew’s book. I know we’re all called to this, but I also know we have different gifts and are called in different ways. How exactly am I being called?

The second was the story of the rich young ruler found in Mark’s book. The Teacher tells the young man to give up all he owns and follow him, but the man can’t. While it says the Teacher still loved him, he also said “it’s harder for a rich man to enter the Kingdom than for a camel to pass through the eye of the needle.” Right after this Peter reminds the Teacher that he did follow him, that he left his family and friends and possessions and answered the call. The Teacher promises reward in this life and in the life to come for such an action as Peter’s.

Don't get me wrong, I’m no Peter—I’m the rich young man. I’m the one who asks what it takes to get into the Kingdom and doesn’t like the answer. I have things I just won’t give up to follow Him—real things, like my friends and family. Good things, but things I know I’m holding onto—even in my year overseas, away from my family and friends and the holidays and everything I’m used to.

The trip left me with questions and also a reminder of my purpose for being here for the year—to further His Kingdom here and wherever He calls me to. If that's China, I have to be willing to go. If it's home, I'll go there, too. The point is, there can't be anything in the way when He says, "Follow me."

Thanksgiving week provided an opportunity to share some of our hope by telling the story of the first Thanksgiving and what it means to be truly thankful. With my kids I did a lot more playing and singing (as always)—though I did do my best to teach them the story of the Pilgrims and the Indians. They liked the name “Mayflower” and liked my rendition of a turkey hunt. They also loved to gobble. We sang the classic Thanksgiving ballad, “A Turkey Sat on the Backyard Fence” and made turkeys by tracing our hands and coloring them.

We held a dinner for our cooperating teachers Thursday evening, and about thirty or so of our colleagues came over for chicken, mashed potatoes, some pies and a lot of veggies. It was much more of a Chinese/America Thanksgiving dinner mix, but it was a fun time to talk and eat and share more about why we celebrate the holiday.

Yesterday, Saturday, was my real Thanksgiving dinner, with two big turkeys and about forty people who all cooked some amazing food. I made two pumpkin pies from scratch (with some improvisation on my part) that turned out surprisingly well. We had all the classics… some great mashed potatoes and stuffing and gravy, sweet potatoes and all kinds of dessert, though I think I missed our homemade rolls the most. I was so thankful for a pretty normal Thanksgiving Day—it was a huge help to not missing everyone back home (though I still did). I’ve been really reminded this week of how much He’s blessed me here and has provided all that I was worried about and more in coming to such a strange and exciting place. Friends and food and fellowship and a feeling of a real calling, as well as the opportunity to see a part of his Kingdom on earth I never would’ve witnessed otherwise.

I have so much to be thankful for, now, on two opposite sides of the world.

Walk on water

So Rizhou was great. It's on the Yellow Sea and is a cool little port town (actually on the Southern side of Shandong--the first sun rumor is definitely bunk). Last year, I guess, Rizhou hosted an international sailing competition, so there's all this great seaside development. We had delicious seafood and, as seen here, walked across this nifty little trick of the eye. I have lots of thoughts from this past weekend and, with tomorrow being Thanksgiving, are sure to have a lot more real soon. For now, enjoy these first pictures and I promise I'll post more soon.

Rizhou or bust

So I'm off to Rizhou--literally it's name means Sunshine City--tonight. Supposedly it's the place in China where the sun rises first.



Rizhou is in Shandong Province, which is just to the SE of Beijing (it's pale yellow on the map). I guess I'm off to the tip of that peninsula... maybe the rumor is true? It's an overnight train ride so I'll be there in the morning, ready to enjoy some seafood and good times until Saturday night when we'll catch the overnight back.

I'll have an update of my travels when I return.

Do dogs have belly buttons?

Some of the funny stuff my kids have said recently. While discussing the date, "Monday, November 14..."

"YESvember!"

While asking how old the dog is (based on previous info. I'd given them):

"Four years old." "Four ears old!" "Four ARMS old!" (Little kid humor in a second language. They're geniuses.)

During the same conversation, I ask, "How old is Mr. Jon?":

"One-hundred years old!" Guess I softballed that one.

And maybe the kicker, this one kid Allen asks me if dogs have belly buttons (in a great combination of Chinese and English), to which I had to say after some earnest thought, "I honestly have no idea." The internet later told me that they do. I'll tell Allen tomorrow.

Peter

I love Peter. Peter probably has A.D.D. or something, or he's just amazing, I'm not sure. Peter's the kid on the slide, marching to the beat of a different drummer. He can't sit still in class, really he can't ever stay in his seat, really if his seat isn't being used as some sort of weapon or a fort I'm happy. Peter's the kind of kid you hand something to at the beginning of class and let him destroy it, just so he's occupied. I wouldn't call him a terror, more a riot.

As I go down my row of students with picture card in hand as Chinese students dutifully recite their memorized English word, I typically come to Peter and he's maybe laying on the floor under a table looking up at me or hiding behind his chair or on the other side of the room playing with something he shouldn't be. When he's on the floor, or under a table, I show him the picture card, he says the word, and we're both happy. Peter's the kid who tried to push me over those ledges at the old Summer Palace. He's the kid who literally bounces off walls. And he's the kid walking up the slide. That really captures him so well... off doing something funny, something he's not supposed to be doing, and something that makes me oh so jealous.

This one's for Peter.

Kindergarten

These are some pictures I snapped this morning. Every morning all across China, primary schools have "morning exercises" outside, where all the students line up and exercise, basically, to all this crazy music and counting in Chinese. It's the same time, routine, and music all across the country. Somewhat militaristic, somewhat dance school or something. I really don't have anything to compare it to. Well, Kindergarten doesn't do this as officially as the primary and senior schools do, but they sort of have "learn how to do morning exercises" or something, where the teachers count in Chinese while they do all these motions. That's what's going on in the pictures. They're not playing games, they're learning how to be little communists.

The one girl, Annie, saw I had a camera and asked me to take her picture. The gray building with the brown and white bricks and the windows in the back of the one picture is the Kindergarten building. These are three of my classes pictured... "Pre" is the small class in the rows (with the K building in the background left), Yellow's in the big circle, and Purple is featured in the next post. Annie's from "Pre."

Day in the life

So what does a day look like for me?

I wake up at 6:30 a.m., shower and meet my team for morning think time at 7. We lift up home stuff (Monday), things at school (Tues.), other teams across China (Wed.), other countries in Asia (Thurs.) and on Friday we meet as well with Team 21 (the other teaching time on campus) to think about all that stuff again.

The office day begins at 7:50, often after I've grabbed a breakfast burrito from one of the street venders on EnjiZhuang Xijie. I'm in the office until noon, and again from 2 to 4 each day, aside from being in classes, of course. I teach 16 class periods a week, 12 of which are 40 minutes long, 4 of which only 30. Monday and Wednesday are my busiest class days, Thursday and Fridays my lightest. I have five classees of Kindergartners which I see 3 or 4 times a week (depending on whether I see them for 30 or 40 minutes). All this math does work out I swear. Much of my office time is spent preparing for class, writing lesson plans, or keeping up with folks at home and the going-ons of my not-so local Pittsburgh sports teams. The office consists of myself and my team (Matt. Ryan and Dave), three members of Team 21 (Debbie, Chante and Tamah) and then the eight Chinese English teachers in the primary school. They're all ladies and they're fun to share a workspace with.

My classes are in the Kindergarten building, a little hike across campus. The classrooms are color-coded in K, so I refer to my classes as Big Purple, Middle Pink, Big Green, Big Yellow and then the achromatic, oddly-named "Pre" class. Big refers to 5 & 6-year olds. Middle is 4 & 5-year olds. And I'm still not sure what exactly "Pre" is... they're all new to the school, so they were all new English speakers back in September.

Kindergarten works differently in China. It's more like pre-school I suppose, although I'll admit I'm a bit ignorant to the whole early childhood education stuff in the States. Anyway, you start Kindergarten often at age 3 (fortunately I don't teach those kids) and have it for three years, graduating from Little to Middle to Big. Not everyone does this, but, like in America, many parents feel the need to start 'em early. I forget what I've said in the past, but my Kindergarten is a boarding school. Maybe 60% of the kids stay there all week and some won't see their parents for the majority of the semester. This is pretty obvious in the kids.

OK, back to my day. I teach anywhere from 2-4 classes, which consist of learning letters, vocab words, singing songs, playing games, teaching simple structures, and reading books. I've gone through some goodies... a Clifford book, Where The Wild Things Are, Barenstein Bears... some others, most of which I simplify a lot. Class is my favorite part of my day, I think. That and reading the Post-Gazette sports page when it updates online in the middle of the afternoon :)

I eat lunch in the cafeteria (which makes Alex's look like a Sunday dinner). It's Chinese food and it's terrible. I'm really fond of the "second lunch," but I eat in the caf to spend time with the Chinese teachers--and because it's always an adventure.

Here's some more pictures... more about my day later:






I've mentioned before about the abundance of manual labor in China. There are always people doing stuff like this (and crazier) everywhere you look. It may not seem dangerous, but you've never been in China. This, by the way, is not on my campus, but somewhere on the streets of Beijing. I thought the words on the sign were slightly ironic.

The second is of some American kids playing in the leaves on campus. The Chinese don't do that, and these kids were all born (or at least have been raised most of their lives) in China--so this is their first time to play in leaves. Crazy, huh? My orgranization has a lot of families, especially here in Beijing, so it's interesting to see that side of overseas work.

This is a tree on campus.

And finally, this is from way back to my first day in China, at the Forbidden City. This Startbuck's is inside. When I get home, ask me about "socialism with Chinese characteristics"--the official poltical position of China--this picture sums it up pretty well.

I'm off to class... hopefully you're off to bed.

How's the weather?

"It's fall."

Every day as part of my opening routine to begin class, I ask my kids "how's the weather?" They tell me, and then we sing our weather song. Kids that age like repetition, so you have no idea how excited they get about singing the same song every day. But anyway, in Beijing often the weather isn't as clear cut as it might seem. It's sunny? Sure but we can't see the sky. It's cloudy? Those aren't clouds, kids. Recently, I've simplified the matter by saying simply, "it's cold."

How cold? I don't know, I can't read Celsius. No snow though, for sure. There's a chance I won't get snow despite the cold temps--Beijing's just sort of like that.

This past Saturday it was my intention to do a "Day in the Life" sort of photo blog--taking pictures of each of the things I did during the day, but I ended up not doing enough interesting things to justify an entire post. For example, until noon the only picture would've been me sound asleep. Instead, I got some pictures of the school and the fall leaves (once I was awake) and those will hopefully give you a better look at what a day in my life is like.

Oh, by the way, the sandwich I'm eating is donkey meat. Just wanted to make sure you know, mom, that I'm getting plenty to eat :)






Explanations: The first picture is at Be For Time Teahouse, a place we've started frequenting more... frequently. You pay 18 kuai (8 kuai is a dollar) for all-you-can drink. They've got mint green soda water, tea with tapioca, caramel iced coffee, vanilla ice cream, slurpee-like things... it really is good. We took the girls there Friday night, played Uno and some made-up word games and had a blast.

Next is the bike rack on campus. Behind you can see the gray building to the left (where I live). We affectionately call it the Gray Building. The building on the right is the Mac Center (with the traditional-looking Chinese roof).

Then should be me taking a big old bite of that donkey sandwich (it really is donkey meat). I didn't like it much at all, but there's this lady that sells them outside our school gate and I figured I had to try it at some point. Kinda chewy.

Then there's a better shot of the Gray Building, taken from the Mac Center Garden. My bedroom window is all the way on the right, second from the bottom, with the air conditioning unit right below. I live on the campus of my school, so I wake up each morning to the sounds of kids playing outside and then have a quick little walk to the office.

The heat is on

Literally. It is only slightly, but when I hold my hand within a couple inches of my radiator, I can tell it's on. November 15 is the official "turn on the heat" day, so anything prior is truly a blessing.

Life's been good. I got another care package from my folks, full of socks and Western goodies--thanks, mom and dad :) Monday, of course, was Halloween. I don't have any pictures, but my school celebrated Halloween the way every Chinese Kindergarten should--confusedly. No one in China celebrates Halloween, so, say, carving a pumpkin or going trick-or-treating, both completely foreign ideas to all those involved... kids and teachers alike.

So, who gets to have fun with it? The foreign teacher (me). Monday I carved a big old pumpkin for my kids--something most of them had never seen--they loved it. They yelled when I lit the candle inside and we were all happy because I cancelled class for the pumpkin carving. On Tuesday the kids "trick-or-treated" from class to class... most of the classes, however, responded with a "meyo" when asked for candy--means they didn't have any. Like I said, they had no idea what was going on. I had fun, though. And I got candy.

This past weekend was good, as well. Some of our friends nearby, two American gals named Janice and Karen Marie, held a Halloween get-together for some of their Chinese friends. We carved little pumpkins (again, a first time for the Chinese), decorated sugar cookies and watched Harry Potter. It was cool to hang out with Chinese people closer to my age and they were all friendly and open to talk about whatever. This was Friday. On Saturday, Janice took us to this place called "Be For Time Tea," this place where you spend 18 kuai (just over $2) and get unlimited drinks--great tea, sodas, these yogurt-drink things, coffee, and ice cream. We stayed there for like two hours, played cards, and had a good time. Some CTF friends will be in Beijing this weekend and we may just go back.

The pictures below, by the way, are from the party Friday night. Me and Ryan are carving in the first one, and then the crew (minus Janice and Karen Marie) displaying our finished products. Just in case you're wondering, I do wear other sweaters besides that brown one.

Hope you all had a good last day of October, whether you dressed up, ate some candy corns, celebrated a one-year anniversary (congrats, Scott and Jaime!), or nailed some 95 theses. Take care!